Google just announced a trial program called Google Fiber for Communities that's planning to launch an extremely fast, experimental broadband network in at least 50,000 homes that will deliver speeds up to 1Gb per second ("over 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today").

Our goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better and faster for everyone. Here are some specific things that we have in mind:

Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.

New deployment techniques: We'll test new ways to build fiber networks, and to help inform and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share key lessons learned with the world.